Today in History

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signs the final Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the rebelling states (more info) 1934: Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1879: Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time (more info) 1907: The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square -- then known as Longacre Square -- in New York City (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1831: Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate the theory of evolution (more info) 1900: Prohibitionist Carry Nation smashes up her first saloon, causing several thousand dollars in damage and landing in jail (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1066: William the Conqueror is crowned King of England (more info) 1776: George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River, hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1807: At the urging of President Thomas Jefferson, Congress passes the Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries (more info) 1941: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington, D.C., for a series of meetings with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on a unified Anglo-American war strat

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1620: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts (more info) 1898: Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1803: The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans (more info) 1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776: Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled 'The American Crisis' (more info) 1777: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1903: Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make history's first successful flight in a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft (more info) 1944: The U.S. Army announces the end of its policy of holding Japanese-Americans in internment camps, allowing "evacuees" to return home (more in

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1799: President George Washington dies at the age of 67 (more info) 1903: The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (more info)